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The Giant Race 10k: Setting a Goal (revising it) and Crushing it!

On Saturday August 27th, I participated in the Giant Race 10k. I had run the 5k at last year’s race and had a great time running it, so here I am again this year. Things I like about this race:

Running in SF down the Embarcadero with no cars

Finishing on the field at AT&T Park

Tim Lincecum Bobblehead for all finishers

Finisher Medal (I had told a friend that I won’t run a race this year unless there is a medal waiting for me at the finish line – so far, 4 races, 4 medals)

T-shirt

Good swag at the Post Race Expo

Setting the Goal: All the “stuff” aside, I ended up having a really good run. I had originally set my goal time at 1:30 (1 hour and 30 minutes). This was based on my last (and only other) 10k I ran. I ran in the Cinco de Mayo 10k in my hometown of Irvine back in 2009. At that time, I was running a lot more than I have been running in recent months. I was in a similar situation where I was training for a half marathon and was challenging myself to see how far I could run without stopping. I remember running 5 of those 6 miles and then needing to stop. I ended up finishing that race in 1:20. Fast Forward 2 years, I do NOT feel as fit or as prepared as I did in 2009. I have barely been able to run more than 2 miles without stopping during my training runs. Anyway, this was my rationale for setting my goal at 1:30.

Revising the Goal: A couple days ago, after a 4 mile training run at the gym, I decided to revise my goal to 1:25. I was able to walk/run the 4 miles on the treddy (with an incline of 1.0) in a little less than an hour. I talked to a friend of mine about revising my goal ans shooting for the 1:20. I really just did not think it was possible to get the time I had back in 2009 so we compromised to revise it at 1:25.

The Race: So race day was Saturday… I ran… and walked… and ran… and walked… and ran… until I got to the finish line. The course was lovely, my usual Saturday course along the water in San Francisco all the way to Pier 39 and back to the ball park. As I crossed the finish line on the warning track of AT&T Park, I saw that the clock read 1:21 or something like that. I saw that my Nike+ GPS app read 1:18 (but that thing always seems to be off). I thought… NO WAY I got that close to 1:20 (my stretch goal).

Crushed it!: I went to check my official time on these laptops set up at the Post-Race Expo… and there is was… an official time of just under 1:18. Not only did I crush my original goal of 1:30 and my realistic goal of 1:25, I even beat my stretch goal of 1:20 by 2 minutes! I was in disbelief most of the morning. Is all this eating and running really working?! I guess it is… because I am still running, right?

Getting ready for the next race: So coming off the good 5k Run at the SF Marathon and this good 10k run, I am feeling less nervous for the upcoming San Jose Rock n Roll Marathon (PS if anyone wants to save $10 thru August 31, enter discount code “GIANTS” when you register). I do have a goal for the San Jose Rock n Roll of less than 3 hours, but would really like to beat my sister and her friend’s times from their San Diego Half Marathon (2:51).

Moral of the Story: So I think the lesson learned here: is set realistic goals, revise them if you need… and really don’t underestimate your talents!

In closing: Here are some photos I took with my iPhone after the race. :-) Happy Running!